Military turns over MILF compound to residents

COTABATO CITY —The military turned over yesterday to the municipal government of Pagalungan, Maguindanao and volunteer organizations the 3,000-hectare residential compound of Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) chieftain Hashim Salamat at the Buliok Complex.

This is for local residents to have access to its religious learning center and worship site.

The turn over, jointly facilitated by the Army’s 6th Infantry Division and the First and Second Marine Brigades, was witnessed by Office of Muslim Affairs Executive Director Zamzamin Ampatuan and Social Welfare Secretary Dinky Soliman.

However, Col. Ben Dolorfino, commanding officer of the 2nd Marine Brigade, said their combatants guarding Salamat’s former base will remain in the surroundings to guard residents from rebel harassments.

Ampatuan, himself an ethnic Maguindanaon, said the take over by LGU and non-government organizations of the control and management of the Islamic center inside Salamat’s compound is part of the government’s confidence-building measure with residents who were displaced during the liberation of the Buliok Complex from rebel occupation in February.

President Arroyo has declared the Buliok Complex a peace zone.

Since April, Malacañang has been implementing various rehabilitation projects in Buliok Complex and other former guerrilla enclaves at the border of Pagalungan and Pikit, North Cotabato.

An Egyptian-trained Islamic missionary, Salamat, while still in Buliok, officiated congregational prayers and preached in a mosque inside his well-fortified lair.

Dolorfino said Muslim members of the Marines securing Buliok Complex will intensify their religious activities involving local residents to complement the efforts of Pagalungan and Pikit’s municipal governments in restoring normalcy in hostile areas.